Roomer, a service for people to buy and sell unwanted non-refundable hotel reservations, has just launched its first native mobile apps for iOS and Android.

Available now, the company said the first iteration of the app only allows prospective travelers to search and book discounted hotel rooms, rather than also allowing users to sell non-refundable hotel room which they no longer require. The Web platform does allow this, however, and Roomer says this feature will be built into the mobile app over time.

To ensure that the buyer and seller feel confident in making a transaction, Roomer said it has put a validation system in place. Once a booking has been confirmed via the app, Roomer then transfers the reservation into the new name and sends an email confirmation, it said. The seller receives payment once the buyer has checked out.

While not exactly a novel idea (services like Cancelon and TakeMyHotelRoom already exist), the shift to offering mobile apps can’t come soon enough for Roomer. However, it now needs to integrate options for listing unwanted hotel rooms directly from the mobile apps. The sooner it does this, the better. Until then, it’s just another hotel room booking app in a sea of competitors.

Ben is European Editor of The Next Web with a focus on startups, gadgets and lifestyle tech. Now a technology journalist with a specialism in mobile devices and a geeky love of mobile spectrum issues. Ben used to be a professional online poker player.
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